Technologies associated with operation of autonomous vehicles are improving and becoming more ubiquitous. As a result, use of autonomous vehicles on roadways is expected to increase, with autonomous vehicles expected to at least partially replace conventional (i.e., non-autonomous) vehicles. Similar to conventional vehicles, autonomous vehicles may be of different types and for different uses. For example, some autonomous vehicles may serve to transport individuals to a destination, while other autonomous vehicles may be designated for emergency use (e.g., a fire engine or ambulance).
In the event of an emergency situation, such as a dispatch of a fire engine, a hurricane, or a tornado, conventional vehicles may be operated differently than they are in normal situations. For example, conventional vehicles may pull over to the side of the road to allow a fire engine unobstructed access to the road. As another example, a police car may operate at an increased speed in order to more quickly reach a destination. However, there is no way to inform autonomous vehicles, whether emergency or non-emergency, of emergency situations, and thus autonomous vehicles do not operate at optimal efficiency in emergency situations.
Accordingly, there is an opportunity for techniques to detect emergency situations and accordingly facilitate effective operation of autonomous vehicles.